Bride Adorned Launched!

Saturday 8 March 2014 saw the official launch of my book "Bride Adorned".  Not only was this a day of celebration...it was a day of all things bridal...it was a royal wedding. As our guests received a royal invitation, each one of us has received an invitation to the Wedding of the Lamb. I do not want to miss that marvelous day when we are united with our heavenly Groom. I want to be the bride of Revelation 19:7 "For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready."

The event started with Pastor Leon Erasmus giving the call: "Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!" (Matthew 25:6)

In her embroidered garments, the all-glorious bride is brought to her bridegroom. Christ is our joy-filled Groom who paid the highest price on a cross to present us to Himself as a radiant and pure bride.

 

 

"...I put a ring on your finger...and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver..." (Ezekiel 16, ESV) Christ crowns you and me with His love and dresses us in His righteousness. We are a bride adorned for Him!

  

 

Praise dance to the music of "We are crowned with beauty"

 

"They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king." (Psalm 45:15) This is the sure expectation of every person who comes to Christ - to be accepted into His heavenly Kingdom and share the utmost of intimacy with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the end destination of our journey!

 "The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face..." (Revelation 22:3-4)



 "How my heart yearns within me! Oh what joy it will be to know God the Father and Jesus Christ in this way!"  

(Bride Adorned)

 After this most beautiful and spectacular portrayal of the wedding of the Lamb to come, myself and various other speakers painted glimpses of what the readers can expect from the book "Bride Adorned". Explaining that the book explores our identity, journey, realities, challenges as well as purpose and meaning of being the bride of Christ, I set out to demonstrate what we can expect on our journey...

"Though the outcome of our journey is secure in Christ, the road we travel on, leading through the realities of our everyday lives, is not an easy one. As we know all too well, it is not without its pitfalls and dangers, not without pain or hurt, disappointments and doubts."

(Bride Adorned)

 

Using Scriptures from Jeremiah 2:2, Song of Songs 8:5 and Isaiah 61, I explained that there is only one way to survive the desert and wilderness experiences of life...following our Groom through the 'land not sown' (Jeremiah) and leaning on our Lover (Song of Songs). Following and leaning says something of our Groom - He is right there with us to follow and to lean on!! He has not forsaken us. But following and leaning upon Him asks trust and faith from us. Without trust and faith in Christ, we will perish in the wilderness. But should we put our trust in the One who was anointed and sent to bind up the brokenhearted, to set the captives free, to comfort those who morn and give a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (Isaiah), we will find that He is faithful and in Him we are more than overcomers! We are filled with strength and peace and joy irrespective of our circumstances. Yet, living in the truth of our identity as the bride of Christ and finding healing and restoration in His love is still not the epitome of being the bride...

John 7 gives the promise that whoever believes in Christ, streams of living water will flow from within him...that is the Holy Spirit. And in Isaiah 41 God promises that He will make rivers flow on barren heights and that He will turn the desert into pools of water...This is manifested when we, filled with the Holy Spirit, share His love with those in need, those who hunger for the truth, those who mourn... As God pours into us, we spill over and pour into others' lives...and the desert becomes a place of life and growth.

 

This is the essence of being a bride adorned...this is our challenge!

This is also why I have chosen to dedicate my book to Sylvia Mashego. Sylvia sometimes helps me when I have a camp full of clients. She lives in Acornhoek in the poverty stricken Limpopo province of South Africa. When she was still young, she gave her heart to Christ. Though her family was hugely upset, she persevered in her new-found relationship with Christ. Trust in her new King and persistent prayer saw her mom and sister turn their backs on the practice of witchcraft and accepting Christ as their Saviour. Wherever Sylvia goes, she prays, loves and testifies of the love of God that there is for us in Christ. Sylvia is a most radiant bride of Christ! At the launch of my book, this remarkable woman fearlessly and joyfully gave her testimony and called us to trust and love our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 


I want to thank my Lord and King for the awesome journey and privilege to write "Bride Adorned". The message is one which I myself need to  always treasure in my heart and one that I pray will strengthen and encourage others to draw close to Him and, in that place of love and intimacy, find LIFE!


Click on the links at the top of my blog to buy either the printed copy or the E-book version of 'Bride Adorned'.

God bless until next week.
Lize